Civilian massacre in Bandiagara: CNDH reminds Mali of its sovereign duties

As central Mali sinks deeper into a spiral of unchecked violence, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has broken its silence following the attacks on Ningari and Sarédina, exposing the structural weaknesses in the transitional government’s security approach.

The pattern has become tragically familiar: villages attacked, unarmed civilians executed, homes set ablaze, followed by the inevitable wave of official statements expressing outrage and sympathy. The recent atrocities in the Bandiagara circle, specifically in Ningari and Sarédina, underscore a harsh reality that official rhetoric tries to obscure: despite triumphant claims about the growing capabilities of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), the day-to-day protection of citizens remains a glaring failure.

The mirage of territorial control and civilian abandonment

The CNDH’s statement, signed by its interim president Me Aissata Founè Tembely, serves as a blunt wake-up call to the authorities in Bamako. By stressing that the security of people and property is the state’s “primary sovereign duty,” the CNDH effectively highlights administrative and military shortcomings on the ground.

In the Dogon Country, the security vacuum left by the absence or ineffectiveness of continuous state presence leaves communities at the mercy of armed terrorist groups. While public discourse focuses on national sovereignty and controlling the narrative, the fundamental social contract between the state and its citizens in the central region has been broken. Sovereignty cannot be measured by the firmness of speeches in Bamako, but by the real ability to protect the life of a farmer or trader in Ningari.

Institutionalized impunity and the rhetoric of inconclusive investigations

As with every tragedy, the CNDH calls for “independent and impartial” investigations to bring perpetrators to justice. But how credible are such calls when the judicial system is effectively paralyzed in conflict zones?

The repeated massacres without any major trial to assign responsibility fuel a devastating sense of impunity. Without concrete prosecutions, demands for investigations begin to resemble a bureaucratic ritual designed to fill an institutional void. This absent justice erodes public trust in the state and inevitably pushes communities toward self-defense or opportunistic alliances, further fragmenting the social fabric.

The trap of a military-only approach and humanitarian law violations

By urging the FAMa to strictly respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the CNDH also points to the dangers of a purely military strategy without safeguards. In their pursuit of terrorist groups, security forces and their auxiliaries are frequently accused by civil society of indiscriminate actions and abuses against local populations.

This approach, which prioritizes body counts and media-savvy operations over sustainable community security, produces the opposite of the intended effect. Each blunder or summary execution becomes a prime recruitment tool for extremist groups. By reminding that the fight against terrorism cannot disregard human rights, the CNDH warns: a military victory achieved at the expense of the law is an illusion that sows the seeds of future unrest.

The CNDH’s warning is clear. If the transitional authorities continue to prioritize political posturing and security messaging over real, impartial, and judicial protection of their citizens, Mali risks losing far more than territory: it will lose the very legitimacy of its state.